Experimental Social Science Laboratory (XLab)

The Experimental Social Science Laboratory (XLab) is an interdisciplinary laboratory for conducting experiment-based investigations into issues of interest to social scientists.

Located in UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, Xlab provides a laboratory with 36 computers for in-lab behavioral and economic research. The purpose is to provide an “economics wind-tunnel,” where social scientists can test out various theories to better understand economic and other forms of human behavior.

Unlike traditional psychology experiments, Xlab experiments do not involve deception, and participants are (in many cases) paid according to how well they perform relative to other participants. XLab operates X Mobile Lab, which provides infrastructure for mobile field experiments.